"Not much happens in a small town, but what you hear makes up for it."

1. "Not much happens in a small town, but what you hear makes up for it."

2. "All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison." (James 3:7, 8)

3. Scriptural goals and guidelines are provided for all areas of our lives: our thoughts, our actions and our words.

4. Thoughts - II Corinthians 10:5; Romans 12:2; Philippians 4:8 Acts - Colossians 3:23,24 Speech - Ephesians 4:22-32

5. Ephesians 4:29 "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."

6. It's not enough just to avoid one kind of speech, but to replace it with speech that will bring benefit, i.e., edification to the hearers.

7. NIV – “unwholesome” KJV – “corrupt” The word, "sapros" literally means "rotting."

8. Job and “sapros” Job - "Surely, O God, you have worn me out; you have devastated my entire household." (16:7) Elihu - "A man may be chastened . . . his flesh wastes away to nothing, and his bones, once hidden, now stick out." (33:19-21) God – “destroys (crushes) the wicked where they stand.“ (40:12)

9. Ways we use rotten words: Complaining.

10. Complaining. Flattering.

11. Complaining. Flattering. Boasting.

12. Complaining. Flattering. Boasting. Swearing.

13. Complaining. Flattering. Boasting. Swearing. Poking fun at another person.

14. Complaining. Flattering. Boasting. Swearing. Poking fun at another person. Telling off-color jokes, or those which implicitly agree with immoral activity.

15. Judging the motives of others.

16. Judging the motives of others. Lying.

17. Judging the motives of others. Lying. Foolish arguing.

18. Judging the motives of others. Lying. Foolish arguing. Giving unsolicited criticism or advice.

19. Judging the motives of others. Lying. Foolish arguing. Giving unsolicited criticism or advice. Repeating stories.

20. Judging the motives of others. Lying. Foolish arguing. Giving unsolicited criticism or advice. Repeating stories. Discussing other people's business.

21. Judging the motives of others. Lying. Foolish arguing. Giving unsolicited criticism or advice. Repeating stories. Discussing other people's business. Using put-downs.

22. Substitutions we can make: Put appreciation in place of complaints. Replace flattery with honest compliments. Make an honest self-evaluation instead of boasting.

23. Praise God in place of swearing. Draw attention to people's assets instead of making fun of their liabilities. Discern good and evil behavior in place of judging motives.

24. Engage in prayer instead of criticism and unsolicited advice giving. Talk about the good things God has done instead of dwelling on the bad things people are doing.

25. Proverbs 25:11 "A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver."